Preparing an Application in the Creative, Performing or Visual Arts

by Walter Jackson, Program Manager, Fulbright U.S. Student Program

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program encourages
applications for study or training in the
creative, performing and visual arts.
Applications in all fields are welcome in more
than 155
countries. Candidates should be thoroughly
familiar with the Individual Country Summary, and
the requirements for the country to which they
wish to apply.

Proposals
in the arts should focus on formal training
and/or independent study in specific disciplines
and applicants should, in their project
statements, indicate the reasons for choosing a
particular country, the nature of the study and
the form the work will take, whether formal study
at an institution, with an individual or
independent study. In their project statements,
applicants should relate their current training to
the study they plan to undertake abroad, the
expected results of the study or training and the
contribution the foreign experience will have on
their future professional development.

Applicants must indicate host country
affiliations and, where possible, provide letters
of support from the individual or institution with
whom or where they plan to carry out their study.
While sources of support/affiliation are specific
to the country of application, they may also
include organizations such as museums, music
groups, galleries, etc.

Candidates in
the arts should be aware that their applications
and supplementary materials will be reviewed by a
discipline-specific committee of experts. Care
should be taken when identifying the appropriate
field of study in the application. It should be
germane to the focus of the proposed project. The
discipline-specific committees in the creative,
performing and visual arts include: Architecture;
Creative Writing; Dance & Performance Art;
Design; Filmmaking; Music Composition &
Conducting; Photography; Piano; Organ &
Harpsichord; Theater, including Acting, Directing
and Costume/Set Design; Ethnomusicology; Sculpture
& Installation Art; Painting &
Printmaking; String Instruments, including Cello,
Double Bass, Guitar, Harp, Lute, Viola, and
Violin; Voice; Wind Instruments, including
Bassoon, Clarinet, Euphonium, Flute, French Horn,
Oboe, Percussion, Piccolo, Recorder, Saxophone,
Trombone, Trumpet and Tuba.

The members
of the discipline-specific screening committees in
the arts can be working professionals,
working/teaching professionals or full-time arts
faculty at academic institutions or teachers at
art and music conservatories in the U.S. They
will be reviewing applications and supplementary
materials in their respective fields to all
countries of the world.

While the quality of
the supplementary material submitted in support of
the written application is extremely important,
candidates in the arts should be aware that
members of the screening committees will also be
interested in the applicant’s training and
preparation for carrying out the project.
Therefore, previous formal study, training or
experience is important.

Projects
should focus on practical training or performance
studies. Candidates should outline how their
previous study background compliments and supports
the proposed project, and will add to their
professional training and development.

Applicants whose projects emphasize academic
research over practical training, should apply in
the academic field appropriate to the nature of
their project (e.g. Architectural History, Art
History, Film Studies, Theater Studies, etc.), and
not submit supplementary materials.

Preparing for Your Fulbright Campus Committee Interview

by Paul Bohlmann, Fulbright Program Adviser, Harvard College

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program expects
every currently enrolled student - graduating
seniors as well as graduate and professional
school students - to submit their application for
a Fulbright grant through their campus Fulbright
Program Adviser (FPA) and to participate in the
on-campus evaluation process.

This
submission will always involve a formal review of
your application materials by a campus committee
and a campus committee interview. These
assessments provide invaluable information to
national screening committees here in the U.S. in
the fall, as well as to overseas screening
committees in the spring.

For enrolled
students, campus committee interviews are
extremely important. Not only does this interview
allow you to supplement your written and
supporting materials personally, but the process
allows a committee to assess - in person - the
convergence of your project with the Fulbright
Program's goals and standards. In a nutshell, the
interview provides an opportunity for a committee
to gauge how ready you are for the challenges of
prolonged immersion in a new culture, as well as
how prepared you are to pursue the project you
have proposed.

To understand the importance
of your campus committee interview, keep one
essential fact in mind: this interview will be
the only occasion you have in the entire review
process, here in the U.S. and overseas, to make a
personal case for your abilities to live abroad
and to undertake your project successfully. It is
essential to know what to expect in your
interview, and to take the time to prepare as
well as you can.

What to
Expect

Campus committee interview
procedures vary from institution to institution.
Generally, you can expect to meet with faculty
members or administrators who have read through
your application materials carefully and who are
familiar with your field, your destination, and
the Fulbright process. FPAs recruit committee
members from a range of disciplines and with a
variety of international experiences, but all of
them will have an interest in the Fulbright
Program, as well as in your success in applying
for a grant.

The Fulbright Program expects
that each campus committee interview will result
in a campus committee evaluation (form #10 in the
application) and that these evaluations must
address six basic questions for each enrolled
candidate:

· What are your academic
or professional qualifications to pursue your
project?· How valid and feasible is
your proposed project?· What are your
language qualifications to pursue your proposed
project?· Do you seem mature,
motivated, and able to adapt to new cultural
environments?· What do you know about
your host country? · What sort of
ambassadorial potential do you have in
representing the U.S. abroad?

Like many
interviews, dialogue with your campus committee
may be unpredictable, unfolding in several
directions. But unlike many interviews, here you
can actually anticipate content - everything you
are asked will be designed to address the above
questions, usually in the space of about 30
minutes or longer. Because some of this
information will be clear in your written and
supporting materials, a fair amount of your
interview may address questions of personal
suitability: why are you applying? Are you open
to new experiences and ideas? How do you meet
challenges or difficulties? Do you interact with
people easily? Are you eager to go abroad?

You should expect a portion of your campus
committee interview to be conducted in the
language of your host country, whether or not you
will use that language in your everyday work. You
should also expect to demonstrate an interest in
and knowledge of your host country that goes
beyond the specific disciplinary focus of your
proposal.

One further note about your
interview: you will be evaluated only in
comparison with your peers, and only against set
standards. In other words, a graduating senior
will not be measured against a more advanced
graduate student, nor will a graduate student be
measured against a graduating senior with less
experience. Neither will be measured against
other individuals in the same applicant pool. This
commitment keeps the playing field level
throughout the evaluation process.

Take Time to Prepare

Because the campus committee interview is an
opportunity for you to make your case in person to
the Fulbright program, be sure to invest some
time in preparing for it. The degree to which you
prepare will speak volumes about your
conscientiousness and enthusiasm; it will boost
your confidence, and it will help you give
articulate answers to committee members'
questions.

A basic starting point in
preparing for any interview is self-assessment -
think about yourself in a specific setting and
reflect on your abilities to be successful in that
setting. What experience, knowledge, skills, or
special training do you have to make you
confident in your ability to pursue your project?
What aptitudes, experience, or personal traits do
you have to make you confident in your ability to
navigate a new cultural environment?

Take
some time to review the contents of your
application, particularly your statement of
proposed study and your curriculum vitae, and be
prepared to expand on any of this. If your project
gets more refined after you submit your
application, be prepared to introduce these
developments in your interview. Think about your
supporting materials. How do your recommenders
know you and what might they say about you? Can
you talk about a paper you wrote for a course, a
tutoring job, or a performance, even though you
may not have written about these experiences
yourself? Can you talk about each of the courses
on your transcript?

In preparing your
application, you will already have done some
research on your host country and host
institution, if appropriate, with an eye to the
specifics of your project and to current events.
But it won"t hurt to refresh your memory
before your interview, especially knowing that
the Fulbright program hopes that you will
establish connections in your host country beyond
the scope of your project. The Internet, your
local library, and newsstands are valuable
resources.

Basic Interview
Advice

The best advice for your
interview is simple: be yourself. Interviewers
expect to meet in person the individual they
already have "met" on paper, and you can
flounder if you try to be someone you're not.
That said, it's important to concentrate on being
your best self. Dress appropriately, arrive
on time, be courteous to those you meet, and be
honest in your interview. The impression you make
with your interviewers really does matter.

Without rehearsing or scripting answers, keep
the six basic questions mentioned above in mind as
you go into your interview. This preparation will
help you focus on the sort of information you
share and the points you'll want to make with your
interviewers. Feel free to take a moment to think
before you answer a question, or to ask for
clarification if you don't understand a question.
If you can't answer a question, say so, but if
you can, connect it to something you do know. If
you feel you've said something you wish you
hadn't, you can address this issue directly later
in the interview. Be sure to address each of your
answers to everyone in the room.

It's
natural to feel nervous before an interview. But
taking care of yourself beforehand by preparing,
getting a good night's sleep, eating a healthy
meal, and giving yourself time to arrive
promptly, will help calm your nerves. If you can
be comfortable with the interview as it unfolds,
you'll communicate confidence and self-reliance,
qualities that will inevitably serve you well
during a year overseas.

Finally…

The
campus committee interview is a formal part of
your Fulbright application, and it is an important
component in the evaluation of your candidacy,
here in the U.S. and abroad. Treat it
accordingly. But also try to enjoy the experience
as much as you can; this is a singular
opportunity for you to share your thoughts and
aspirations with people who genuinely care about
them.

Please note: If you are not currently
enrolled in a U.S. institution of higher learning
or are unable to apply through your home campus or
alma mater, you may apply At-Large. This includes
U.S. students studying at institutions outside of
the U.S. or students attending institutions where
there is not a Fulbright Program Adviser.

Fulbright Podcasts on iTunes

Applicant
Podcasts: Schuyler Allen and Tony
Claudino, of the Fulbright Student Program
Outreach staff, host interviews on how to complete
a successful Fulbright application; these podcasts
are currently available.

My
Fulbright Life: These podcasts
feature interviews with current Fulbrighters
talking about their projects and experiences
overseas. Check iTunes regularly for updates.

Send Us Your Questions

If you have thoroughly reviewed the Fulbright U.S.
Student Program website
and have not found the answer to your question, click here to
send us your question. You will receive a reply
via email from one of our Program Managers.